Heroes of New Hyrule
by Littlegraycells28
Summary: When the livelihood of the kingdom is disappearing, an engineering prodigy and a ghostly princess work together to save the land from the Demon King Malladus. A novelization of Spirit Tracks with a more in-depth look at the characters and details.
1. Prologue

_Scriiii...thock!_

The arrow hit the outer middle ring of the bulls-eye.

_Scriiii...thock!_

Close. Very close. Just the smallest bit to the left.

Where Princess Zelda got her talent for archery was no mystery. It was taught in the schools that her grandmother, the first Queen of New Hyrule, had quite the aim with a bow and saw to it that her successors would follow suit. Queen Tetra had established a rule for all royal family members to learn how to use a bow and learn at least some aspects of military combat by the age of fifteen because _"There's no way that _my_ daughters will ever be whiney, helpless princess-types!"_

The second Queen of New Hyrule, Tetra's daughter, had found this rule distasteful. A far cry from the first queen, she was a pacifist at heart and had been reluctant and sulking to learn any form of combat. She had been a near antithesis of Tetra; she was polite, well-mannered, recognized the importance of paperwork, hated any form of violence, and perhaps most striking of all, she was _willing_ to be submissive and allowing others to make decisions for her.

The second Queen did have her times of adamancy though, particularly when it came to her young daughter, the latest heiress to the throne. Seeing that New Hyrule had not been in a war in its entire history, she believed that it would be best that the princess focus on education rather than self-defense or military training, partly out of the belief that this was the best way for a ruler to advance the country, and partly out of her own ideals of pacifism.

This of course was deemed unsatisfactory by Tetra, who wished the princess to turn into a strong-willed, battle-capable leader. Things went ever worse when Tetra foresaw mortal peril for the young princess and for New Hyrule, courtesy of prophetic visions granted by the Triforce of Wisdom. She attempted to steer Zelda to train and prepare for war, but this was vehemently denied by the current Queen who, in another show of opposites, did not believe in such things as prophecies and premonition. Tension rose between Tetra and her daughter until it eventually led a sort of falling out between the two. Many who witnessed their bitter disputes believed that the emotional pain from their falling out caused both of their deaths shortly afterwards.

As the princess was too young to understand the depth and importance of her mother's and grandmother's differing methods at the time, the Royal Council elected to keep her on the path her mother had originally planned for her, hitting the books rather than the training dummies. Now a few days after her fourteenth birthday, she was allowed to choose whether she wanted to learn combat or not. As a lover of physical activity (not to mention being denied the thrilling and exotic experience of battle her whole life), Zelda chose to learn how to use a bow. To her own surprise, she had an immense natural gift for archery. Less than a week had passed since her first lesson and already she had surpassed all but the best archers in the army.

_Scriiii...thock!_

Meh. Close to the outermost ring.

_Scriiii...thock!_

Yes, yes, YES! Bulls-eye!

General murmur of approval from nearby guards. Maybe she could do it again...

_Scriiii..._

"PRINCESS!"

"Eep!"

_Thak!_

The arrow had flown into a stone wall in Zelda's private courtyard. Or, as the soldiers currently watching and the princess herself called it, the archery training ground.

"What are you still doing here? It is almost time for you to study!" crowed Chancellor Cole.

Chancellor Cole was not someone pleasant to look at. He was a midget, perhaps only four feet tall, with a carroty head of hair, carroty eyebrows and a pointy, carroty mustache. His attire was clearly someone of high class, gold-embroidered green silk robes and pants and a ruby brooch fastening his arrow collar. Curiously, he was able to somehow balance two top hats at near 45 degree angles on top of his head. His beady eyes narrowed to an angrily.

The surrounding soldiers snapped to attention, except for one standing next to his star pupil. He turned to Cole in an annoyed manner.

"Oy, Chancellor! We still have fifteen more minutes of archery training scheduled!" frowned Captain Russell.

Russell was the solidly-built Captain of the Royal Guard who also trained new recruits and the royal family in combat. Normally a jolly man, his demeanor was strained whenever he conversed with the Chancellor.

"The princess needs time to wash up and change her clothes so the castle will not smell like a barn! It is bad enough with these soldiers around." The guards shifted. "Besides, the princess should not frivolously waste her time in such a needless practice when she has studying to do!" Cole ranted in his high-pitched voice.

"It's okay Captain," Zelda said, wanting to diffuse the argument before it progressed to a shouting match. She handed her bow and quiver to a nearby soldier. "The Chancellor is right, there is a lot of studying I need to do if I want to be a good ruler of this country, and it won't get done with archery." But her reaction betrayed her words, eyes downcast and her voice a bit melancholy, unsuccessful at hiding her enjoyment of the activity.

Russell saw through her poor emotional guise and aimed a sour look at Cole, but followed her decision. He moved to allow her to pass.

"Come on! Come on!" Cole shooed the princess along, back to the stone corridors of the castle.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hooray for exposition! Hopefully you all enjoyed the prologue of Heroes of New Hyrule. I'm still a rookie writer at this point, but will try my best to make a deep and entertaining story. My aim is to truly delve into the mental and emotional development of the characters, which I felt would transition well from the game to a novelization. Of course, a good writer wouldn't have to tell the reader such things, but oh well. Happy reading!


	2. Wake up Sleepyhead!

"…n…ng…eop…irit…od…ful…"

"zzzz"

"…vil…ing…ower…troy…ever…ath…"

"zzzzzzzzzzzz"

"…ar…ued…seem…etern…uch blo…ed…"

"**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ**"

"…ink?...Lin…?..._LINK_!"

"Wah!"

Link sat up abruptly from his unexpected session of sawing logs. Rubbing his bleary eyes, he addressed the one who called his name.

"Uh, y-yeah grandpa Niko?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Niko sighed. "I can't believe this! You fell asleep during my magnum opus. Again!"

_Oh yeah, Niko was showing me one of his presentations…_ thought a still-drowsy Link.

Link was getting ready for the day when Niko sprang up and insisted that Link hear his recently finished "blasterpiece". Though Link didn't fully understand what a blasterpiece was, he acquiesced in order to please his roommate. Unfortunately, listening to one of Niko's presentations was like putting your head under a steam press. The man could talk the ears off a Snurgle and then proceed to ramble at them when they were down.

Niko was a short, incredibly ancient man who had a certain creative talent for storytelling. He wasn't really Link's grandfather, but since he practically raised the boy he started asking to be called "grandpa". Niko had a slight hunch to his back due to his advanced age and was forced to use a walking stick to get around. He claimed that he was once a member of the fiercest pirate crew the Great Sea had ever set afloat, and judging by his garb of weathered work jeans and sun-faded striped shirt, this was… possibly true. No one could ever know with Niko. Truth or not, he often spoke fondly of the days of sailing, and they were often the subjects for his presentations. This particular presentation was different though, it was called…what was it? Something about spirits…or demons…Link couldn't remember…

"Link? Are you listening to me at all?" Niko inquired.

"Er, sort of…" Link replied with half-lidded eyes.

"All right, all right, I get the hint. Sorry for boring you. But you really should pay more attention, this story might be important to you someday. In fact, I remember a time when—"

Another one of Niko's long-winded stories was (thankfully) interrupted by the opening of the door. The dark-skinned man who walked inside did not look happy.

"Ah! Hello Alfonzo! Have you come to see your young protégé?"

Alfonzo was a tall, burly man who didn't take nonsense from anybody. He was wearing his engineer uniform (which was no surprise; he always wore his uniform, even when he wasn't working). A red hand-me-down bandana, imprinted with a white dove, was tied to his head. A scar of unknown origin went partway across his cheek.

"Good day Niko, and yes, I am. Link! Why are you still here? Oh for goodness sake, wipe that sleep from your eyes!"

Growling, he up picked Link with both hands and shook him abrasively. "WAKE UP!"

"AaAhHh! OKAY! I'M UP! I'M UP!"

"Good." Alfonzo dropped his shaken student. "Now come, we have to get going for our audience with the princess. You didn't forget what day it is did you?" he asked with an edge in his voice.

"O-of course not! I've been preparing for this for a long time! Today's the day I graduate and become an official engineer." Link answered with pride.

Alfonzo nodded. "I'm glad you remembered. I am heading to the station now, so meet me there in a few minutes. See you later Niko." He walked out, purposely leaving the door open behind him.

Link sighed. He hated displeasing his mentor. Alfonzo may have been a tough teacher, but he was also a very good one. Link saw him as an uncle.

"Hmhmhm!" Niko laughed. "Well well! Why didn't you say that it was your graduation day? I wouldn't have held you up like that if I had known. After all, it is quite the honor and you mustn't be late! Go on now!"

Link nodded and made a move for the doorway. Just as he was exiting, Niko called out to him again, "One second, Link!"

Link turned around. "Sorry about that. This old head of mine isn't what it used to be." Niko shuffled through a drawer and pulled something out. "I want you to take this."

A book bound with fine leather with an ornately patterned spine was thrust into Link's hands. It looked brand new.

"Thanks Niko. But uh—" Link flipped through some of the pages, "The pages are blank. What is it?"

Niko was quick to answer, "This is a Stamp Book. For every place you visit you are meant to blot something on each page, like a stamp. You see, the reason why I want you to takes this is because…well…"

Niko gave a deep sigh and closed his eyes.

"…I'm pretty old, and I'm not getting any younger. I can't travel around like I used to in my days of salty seafaring." Niko looked up. "I want you to take this Stamp Book and mark a page for each place you visit. And then I want you to come back, show me a full book, share your adventures, and tell _me_ a story for a change. Do this old coot one last favor, eh?"

Link was stunned. He never really considered how old Niko really was. It was just a fact that never really came to his attention. It was obvious that no matter how old Niko was, his spark for adventure had never waned. This really meant a lot to him…

"Of course I'll do that grandpa Niko. I'll do all of those things. And when you hear my stories, you'll feel like you were right there with me!"

Niko smiled. "That's the best I could ever hope for. Thank you Link. Now get going! You have to get your certificate!"

Link smiled, and then left the house, closing the door behind him. Niko chuckled to himself. "I expect great things from you, my boy. And if you're anything like Swabbie was, I won't be disappointed…"


	3. The Start of an Adventure

Aboda Village was one of the first towns to be settled since the country's founding. This could easily be seen, for the houses in Aboda were made of lumber from the very ships used to bring the pioneers to its beach. One of the houses even had an old mast and sail atop its roof to serve as the town's weather sock. Even though Aboda was one of the first towns of New Hyrule, it remained very small. This was probably due to the concentration of efforts given to establish Castle Town, a city for the royalty to live in. Though small, Aboda remained a significant part of the country's economy with salt and specialty jewelry coming from the beach and custom-made train parts from the resident master engineer, Alfonzo. Even with the town's rich history and exports, Aboda's trademark continued to be based on a creature indigenous to the area, the white dove.

As soon as Link stepped outside a small flock of them landed and started hopping around his feet, looking at him expectantly.

Link chuckled, "Sorry guys, no food today. I have somewhere very important to be." The doves cleared a path for him as he walked forward. It looked to be a very fine day; very few clouds in the sky and a slight ocean breeze. The mailbox was still, so no one in the village had any mail to receive. Looking at the mailbox, Link thought of an amusing idea. All mailboxes in the country had a side compartment attached called a Stamp Station. They were used to mark letters as part of a return address. But now Stamp Stations had a different use to Link. He carefully pulled out his Stamp Book.

_I'll do it just to humor grandpa Niko. He'll probably get a laugh out of the story of the fantastic journey where I took a few steps away from our house._

Smiling at the thought of Niko's reaction, Link dipped the stamp into the ink and pressed it onto the page. The orange picture of a beach, the mast and sail house, and a few doves was imprinted on the first page of the Stamp Book.

_There's one._

Link had just closed the book shut when he heard the standard Aboda greeting, "Hoy Link!" a man with orange hair walked up to him, "Congrats for your graduating!"

Link nodded, "Thanks!"

"Say, you know what?" the man continued, "I've been wanting to start up a Cucco farm for a while now, but I've had no way to start. And you know how my wife likes the omelettes. When you've become a full-fledged engineer, see if you can find some Cuccos and bring'em back, would ya? It would mean a big deal to me."

Link nodded again, "If I find any Cuccos, I'll be sure to give you them. I happen to like omelettes too."

They shared a laugh and exchanged farewells. Link continued to the station. He had reached the steps to the railway platform when he heard a loud train whistle. A wooden train with a full tender and a passenger car rolled ahead and stopped at Link's position. The engine had the image of a dove painted on its sides.

"Link!" Alfonzo bellowed from the head car, "It's about time you came here! The boiler's all preheated and ready to go! Hop on!"

Link jumped into the open door of the cab. As he took position for controlling the train, he performed the standard ritual for any train taking off from its destination;

_**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**_

At the loud blow of the whistle, the wooden train with a dove insignia began its casual acceleration on the tracks.

"Goodbye Link!"

He turned around, looking for the source of the voice. He was very surprised at what he saw.

"So long!" "Good luck!" "Come visit sometimes!" "Bring me back a souvenir!"

The whole town was assembled by the steps of the station for a big send-off. He could see a little girl waving, that guy who wanted the Cuccos, that boy with the blue hat, each one wanting to give the longest goodbye.

As the train reached optimal speed and the people of Aboda became specks in the distance, Link cleared his head and focused on the upcoming rails. Knowing Alfonzo, there would be some kind of special test right before his becoming a true engineer.

Alfonzo shoveled some coal into the firebox and closed its hatch. After checking the steam and water pressure gauges, he turned to Link. "All right, since it's your graduation day, there are a few things I want you to understand."

Aboda Village had left sight a couple minutes ago and the train chugged along at a steady pace.

"Above all, I want you to comprehend the significance of this ceremony. You've already worked extremely hard to earn your right to operate a train, so you don't want to mess this up now. In order to operate as a train engineer in this kingdom, you need to have the approval and audience with the princess. When she gives you your engineering certificate, you will be the youngest train engineer in history. You get all that?"

Link nodded twice. He had heard this speech from Alfonzo before; Alfonzo obviously wanted to review what he thought was significant.

"Now just to experience what being an independent engineer is like, there is something that I want you to do on the way to the castle."

_Here it comes, the thing that will make or break my validity as an engineer in Alfonzo's eyes._

"I want you to drive this train all by yourself the entirety of the way to the castle. I'll be the fireman and shovel all of the coal so that you're not all sweaty and tired when we arrive, but you will be the one telling me when to add more coal, monitoring the gauges, looking outside, and steering the train. That's all."

_That's all? Really? I expected something new and difficult for me to do. This'll be a piece of cake!_

"Don't worry; it'll be a piece of cake." Alfonzo continued, echoing Link's sentiment, "Consider this to be your final exam. Just do what you usually do and you'll do great."

Link felt flattered by Alfonzo's last statement; by saying 'do what you usually do and you'll do great', he implied that Link usually did a great job. Indirect or not, a compliment from Alfonzo was a true rarity.

Alfonzo stepped back and Link confidently took the seat.

_Alfonzo just added some coal so the firebox will be good for a while. Water pressure is normal, boiler pressure is normal, steam pressure is a little high, but that's only because of the recently added fuel. Everything inside the train is normal so it's time to check the outside._

Link stuck his head outside of the cab and took a critical look outside. It was a clear day, so no trouble with weather. Nothing on the train tracks that would present danger, that was good. They were on the correct path to Castle Town, even though they had to circumnavigate the usual path.

_Because the Spirit Tracks are disappearing… _Link frowned.

It was simply inconceivable that they would just disappear into thin air. Why would someone do it? Were they stolen? Destroyed? Who was responsible? It was a complete mystery. Whatever the reason or whomever the culprit, with the Spirit Tracks vanishing life had gotten far more difficult for the citizens of the kingdom. Food, raw materials, people, mail, and other goods were all shipped by train. People couldn't get the things they needed for their livelihood. The economy was in turmoil; prices and demand had gone up, availability and supply had gone down. To Link's bitter disappointment, train engineers were hit the hardest, as they made their living traversing the rails. Many of them either lost their jobs or quit because there was less area for trains to travel on.

_It's my duty as a loyal and dutiful engineer to find out how this is happening and fix it._


End file.
